After a sluggish start in Game 1 against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets came roaring out of the gate and cruised to a 130-108 victory in Game 2 at Barclays Center for a 2-0 series lead.
And Charles Barkley said he expects the Nets to sweep the series, which resumes Friday in Boston with Game 3.
‘This is a wrap,” he said at halftime on TNT when the Nets led 71-47. “The Celtics have packed it in. This is going to be a quick 4-0 sweep.”
Barkley previously said it’s “championship or bust” for the Nets and their “Big 3” of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.
Former Nets star Kerry Kittles is also calling for a Brooklyn broom party.
“I don’t think Boston has what it takes to win one of these games,” Kittles, who played in back-to-back NBA Finals with the New Jersey Nets, said on Pix11. “I think the Nets will go to Boston and take care of business.”
Barkley previously picked Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks to come out of the East. Milwaukee leads Miami 2-0 in that series. If Brooklyn and the Bucks both advance, they would meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Joe Harris made 7-of-10 from deep, tying a Nets franchise record for 3-pointers in a playoff game, and finished with 25 points.
Durant went for 26 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in just 29 minutes, Irving had 15, 6 and 6 in 28 minutes and Harden tallied 20 points, 7 assists and 5 boards in 27 minutes.
The Nets also dished out 31 assists.
Kittles praised the ‘Big 3’ for their sacrifice and willingness to make the team better.
“I think it really speaks to the characters of each one of those guys,” he said. “They’re all unselfish and they’re more than willing to play the game the right way. I think that that’s what we’ve seen of them. James Harden has made the biggest sacrifice as far as offense, but Kyrie and KD have found their roll with the team and really embrace what they do well, which is score.”
Harden and Durant were yucking it up on the bench during garbage time as Alize Johnson flew in for a dunk.
The Nets held Celtics star Jayson Tatum to 9 points before he left the game after getting poked in the eye.
Kittles thinks the Nets — the favorite to win the NBA championship — are rounding into form after trailing by 12 points in the first half of Game 1.
“I think they got it started on defense, they really got after Boston and made it difficult for them early on,” Kittles said.
“And they responded well on the offensive end. It always tends to work that way. When you get better defensively, offensive things tend to happen for you.”
Kittles believes the Nets “absolutely” look like a championship-caliber team.
“Now you can really see that this team is a really tough team to take out,” he said.
Brooklyn Nets Take 2-0 Lead On Boston Celtics As Charles Barkley, Kerry Kittles Predict A Sweep - Forbes
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